Janda

A friend said she read that it can be really unsafe to travel to Oaxaca. Has anyone had any problems there? Would you recommend and hotels ?

nancy

I have travelled twice alone with just my small daughter to Oaxaca. We are budget travellers and stay in cheap hotels, take buses, including night/long distance buses and we were very safe. There is a lot of stupid propaganda and chicken little type stuff being spread by ignorant or weird ultra-paranoid people and it scares people away. It is very safe as long as you have common sense and courtesy. Oaxaca and most of Mexico are much safer than most places in the U.S.<BR><BR>I hope you choose to go. I will be going in the next 2 or 3 weeks myself.

Earl

We just returned from three weeks in Oaxaca City and Bahias de Huatulco. We traveled all over and never had any problems. The area is fantastic, the people are friendly and we will visit again.<BR>Oaxaca, and Mexico in general, is IMHO much safer than many places in the US. There are some domestic issues, but tourists are not bothered.<BR>Use common sense and you will have no difficulties.<BR>You don't say what price range you are looking for, but we checked out several hotels in the downtown area, from top end to bargain. Eme if you would like some rate information.

John K

Hi Janda,<BR>Oaxaca is both a city and a state of Mexico (like New York, New York). The city of Oaxaca is quite safe. Many areas of the state of Oaxaca are also very safe. There are definitely unsafe areas though and I think if you post specific destinations you can get some specific feedback on them. The crime rate in Mexico overall is much, much higher than in the United States but that doesn't not mean you cannot have a safe and exciting vacation there if you take the right precautions based on knowledge of the area you are visiting.

Sr. G.

Oaxaca can be very safe as long as you don't flaunt your wealth or go to certain areas at night. I have taken groups of teenagers there over the past four years and we have never had any major problems. The zocalo is safe and I have had to walk the streets late at night to checkj up on a sick student. The outlying pueblos have had some indiginous issues that have been blown out of proportion by our media. The Oaxacan people are very gracious and open to foreigners. Make sure you check out a Guerreros pro baseball game and or Las Brisas public pool. You can see how the middle class Oaxacans live. Also the Sunday market in Tlocolula (nice church) is a must.

Wilbur

The city of Oaxaca is safe. There are various areas in the state of Oaxaca where you have to be careful. I'm not sure why Xose went off on John K as John clearly says that you can have a safe visit. But for what it's worth if you go to the United Nations website http://www.odccp.org/mexico/ you'll see that Mexico's per capita murder rate is triple that of the US.

Dave

Been there and would have no hesitation about going back. We have been to a lot of the "colonial cities" (Taxco, Morellia, etc.)and they are all great. They are like any place else in the world (except maybe better then a lot of others). As long as you have common sense, they are safe. <BR><BR>Go. Have fun.

dunya

Just returned from 8th trip to Oaxaca and experienced no problems whatsoever. My kids have been running around Oaxaca city by themselves for the last few years. There is some inter tribal violence in rural areas not visited (at least without great difficulty) by tourists. But I have never heard of it effecting Oaxaca City at all. Last January I spent over an hour talking to two Oaxaca City cops. I told them I was retired from law enforcment and we compared our jobs. They both told me that they would never work inthe USA because it is far too dangerous. Likewise they told me they have nothing to do all night long because there is no crime. In many weeks in Oaxaca city over the past ten years I have never seen anything to contradict what they said.

lcuy

We were in Oaxaca City in June. Felt very safe in the city, and travelling to the nearby sites with our two teen age daughters. Walked around in the evenings and stayed at Casa Sierra Azul about 2 blocks from the Zocala.<BR>Mexico City was a bit more scary, but there are so many armed police on most corners that we felt no danger during the days. We were a lot more cautious about walking at night or using taxis than Oaxaco.